Fire chiefs urging Yorkshire residents not to light fires or barbecues due to heatwave

A heatwave is predicted to start today until Sunday across the country.

Temperatures are expected to reach the mid 30s by Sunday according to forecasts.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was making preparations ahead of the heatwave.

People are also being asked to resist using disposable barbecues in open areas, given the damage they are known to cause in dry weather.

The lack of rainfall has also seen local waterways, including reservoirs, start to dry up, which may lead to a UK-wide hosepipe ban by the end of the month according to the service.

Dave Walton, Deputy Chief Fire Officer for WYFRS, said: “Once a wildfire starts, with the best will in world, it won’t stop and will take hold faster than people can run.

“While we might not see a return of the peaks of previous heatwave, we are expecting some quite high temperatures over a sustained period. The current dry conditions and the ground heat as a result, make it the perfect conditions once again for wildfires to erupt.

“The longer the hot weather and dry conditions run, coupled with low humidity rates, this really raises the risks for wildfire. This is exactly what happens on the continent and so we need to all play our part over the next few days to prevent fires taking hold.

“We are asking our communities to be responsible and not light fires while the conditions remain as they are. Residents have largely been heeding this advice and we urge them to continue to do so.”

He added while the service was well prepared for what came last time, it was the quantity of fires at once which stretched crews.

“We have already doubled the number of wildfires attended this year compared to last and we are only half-way through the year, so we know we are in for a testing few weeks,” added the DCFO.

“We have specialist equipment for fighting wildfires and we are increasing our resource in terms of 999 control room and crewing engines, especially towards the weekend as we see temperatures rise.

“Our messaging is also being ramped up as we ask people to take responsibility. The fields, crops and grasslands are still tinderbox dry and will go up with little aggravation. A hot barbecue on the ground can start a fire on its own as can a carelessly thrown cigarette or broken glass."

Barbecues are banned on open moorland because they increase wildfire risk.

The fire service has released the following advice to residents:

• Please don’t have barbecues or campfires in the countryside, or on any grassland during this very dry weather.• If you’re a smoker, please take extreme care with how you put out your cigarettes and dispose of them.• Don’t leave litter and pick it up if you see it. Don’t leave it to someone else. Discarded litter, in particular glass bottles, pose a fire risk when the sun’s rays are magnified through it. • Avoid having bonfires at all.• For evidence of how disposable fires can damage our countryside see this video